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McGee works curve back into repertoire

Jake McGee certainly has the stuff to turn his game around, but he will have to be in better control of the strikezone in order to do so

By Bill Chastain
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MLB.com |

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Left-hander Jake McGee packs a 97-mph fastball, but he needs to have a pitch to keep hitters from digging in and waiting for that fastball -- even though a 97-mph normally does the trick. Thus he's gone back to using a curve.

"I used to use it in the Minor Leagues when I was a starter," McGee said. "It's more a 12-6 curveball. It'll have a bigger speed difference than my cutter-slider used to."

McGee, who has been using a cutter and a slider as his secondary pitches, hasn't used the curve at all.

"I have a lot of confidence in it," he said. "I threw it for five years in the Minor Leagues, and when I got called up in 2010, I started using the cutter-slider. I'll be able to throw the curve for strikes."

McGee also plans to use a changeup on occasion, but he believes the curve will be his go-to offspeed pitch this season. He acknowledged that he needs it.

"Especially something with a little bit of a speed difference, which is why I like the curveball," he said. "It's in the low 80s; my cutter last year was up to 93. So it's a bigger speed difference. You'll have to sit on one of the other pitches instead of just the fastball."

Bill Chastain is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.